Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

 

Out of nowhere, every structure on Earth collapsed.  It was part of an alien occupation.  Carl was outside trying to track down his ex-girlfriend's cat so he and Princess Donut were spared.  They find a place that offers sanctuary and with two million other survivors all over the world, enter. 

They soon find out that their sanctuary is a video game for aliens to watch.  It's like a Survivor show except losers aren't voted off; they are killed by the myriad types of monsters there.  The game has levels and Carl and Princess Donut are on the first.  The players have six days to find the staircase to the second level.  Players also have the opportunity to get followers and sponsors to help them survive.

Carl and Princess get to the second level making friends and enemies along the way.  Can they continue to progress in the game?  

Matt Dinniman is the author of the highly successful Dungeon Crawler Carl series both in novel and graphic novel forms.  He lives in Washington and is also an artist and a bass player.  There are currently eight novels in the series.  There are entire groups that are built around the series and that engage in community building activities and the series is considered one of the top five LitRPG series.  The action is fast and furious and the monsters and maneuvers are highly imaginative.  Carl shows his emotional side in helping others rather than just killing everyone he meets.  This book is recommended for funloving readers.